I have the same question. Trying to brush her teeth is like trying to brush a wild raccoon's teeth. It is so hard, she fights me tooth and nail. I give her the toothbrush and she mainly chews on it and does a mock teeth brushing which is funny but it does not actually clean her teeth. I also sometimes just try to wipe her teeth down with a washcloth which I suppose is better then nothing. She fights me even with the washcloth but it seems easier then trying to actually brush the teeth. I'm worried that she'll end up with a mouthfull of cavities. I am also curious about toothpaste. I haven't used any yet.
I'll be checking back to see what people say becuase I have no idea.

 

From what I know, toothpaste isn't necessary, but you can use it- there are children's pastes with no flouride.

We sing a song - there is one by Raffi about brushing your teeth, or you can just make up words. Also there was a commercial on tv when I was a teenager and I sing that one too. "Brush your teeth, round and round, circle small, gums and all...." etc etc.

I let him do his own teeth first, then I tell him I have to check and make sure they are clean, I tell him "oooo I see some strawberries in there!" Or whatever he ate that day - basically a constant narration and telling him he can't go to bed with food bugs on his teeth

Also, sometimes when he is "brushing" his teeth I brush mine, then I show him how nice and clean mine are and that I have to make sure his are nice and clean too.

 

Make it a routine that you MUST do, but also make it a choice for DC. ie "Bedtime, now we NEED to brush your teeth. Do you want to brush first, then mommy brush; or do you want mommy to brush and then you brush?" Then let DC decide and just go with it. We do this with DS. He alternates between who goes first, and we let him decide. His idea of brushing is sucking all the toothpaste off and chewing on the brush, but OK. When DH gets the brush, he does a good job. If DC insists on no brushing, then DH says again, "We brush teeth before bed, do you want to brush first, or me brush first?" After a few weeks, DS got the idea that there were no "non-teeth" days (just like there are no "non-carseat rides", but he still has the control over who brushes first and last.

 

We sing the ABC song. I let her brush, then I do it some. We use a fluoride-free paste from the health food store. What helps us is routine -- there are set times we always brush. And also leaving plenty of water on the brush -- she likes to suck it off as I brush her teeth. It helps distract her.

I also let her suck on the washcloth in the tub everynight (I don't soap her up until the end) and that helps keep them clean too.

Any little bit helps, I think.

GL!

 

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Originally Posted by Cujobunny We sing a song - I let him do his own teeth first

Same here. DD always follows me into the bathroom, so I hand her her toothbrush when I brush mine. I have another toothbrush that I leave with her babys' paraphenalia that she likes to use throughout the day.

We use Weleda Calendula Childrens Tooth Gel. I don't know if it's neccessary, but DD likes the taste.

 

Every night before we go to bed, we brush our teeth, the baby (13mo) watches everyone do it, then we brush his teeth, he looks at me funny when the toothbrush is in his mouth, but allows me to do it. Because we have toddlers, we use that paste/gel.

Good Luck

 

NAK.

Try an electric toothbrush and make it seem fun.

 

I let my 15 month old dd chew on her toothbrush all day long as a teether. She really likes it. We use non-fluoride toothpaste (Tom's) and she likes it also. I brush her teeth in the morning when she's awake, and at night when she's asleep. Using a terrycloth towel to rub their teeth and gums also works well. Hth, GL!

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Here is what my dentist recommended (he did this for his son)
Lay your child with your head on your lap. Pin their arms underneath your knees. NOw brush the teeth. He said it works better if they are yelling because you can see what you are doing. He said once they get used to it, it becomes a nice snuggly ritual.

Here is what I do with my 19 month old. I taught her hippo mouth (open wide for back teeth) and chesire cat mouth (lips open for front teeth. It sort of works once she has a chance to suck off all the paste. Or let DH do it since it is always much more fun if DH does things than mama.

 

Quote:

Trying to brush her teeth is like trying to brush a wild raccoon's teeth. It is so hard, she fights me tooth and nail. I give her the toothbrush and she mainly chews on it and does a mock teeth brushing which is funny but it does not actually clean her teeth. I also sometimes just try to wipe her teeth down with a washcloth which I suppose is better then nothing. She fights me even with the washcloth but it seems easier then trying to actually brush the teeth. I'm worried that she'll end up with a mouthfull of cavities.

I am in the same boat, I have tried songs, doing my own teeth all of these things, but when I try to put the brush in her mouth she just goes no, and screams and then closes her mouth! I am really worried she will end up with cavities, and I also want to start her in good habits, she is 15 months old.

Mary

Mother to DD Sadbh 10-03-05

 

I peek into their mouths (ask them to open) and say, "OMG, there's some hippos back there!!" (in mock, very dramatic horror) and brush that spot....then it's "LOOK!!! A huge elephant over there, let's get him!!" Both kids have always loved this game (usually they start yelling out what the next animal we go after should be.) DS is almost 4 and last night there was a lone, hyper gorilla that jumped all aropund his mouth (his idea) and we had so much fun he got a really good brushing. To do the front, I ask them to growl (and I demonstrate, baring my closed front teeth.) That's always fun and allows you to get to the fronts.

I never come right at them with the toothbrush at first - we have to peek into their mouth and talk about which animals we've go to after and they get excited about the idea. You can also warm them up with a quick game of, "Wait, what's that noise??? Is that a rhino? Is in in your ear?? Hmmm, no. Your nose??? Nooo. It's louder - hey, I think it's in your mouth!! Quick, open up and let's see!"

Another thing that worked for us is that we picked up a bunch (like 5) various electric spin brushes (a CARS one, a dolphin, a Tigger, etc) and they get to pick which one, they've always liked that.

DD is now 2 and we'e been doing it for almost a year with her and DS for a few years too - I guess it never gets old.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueStateMama I peek into their mouths (ask them to open) and say, "OMG, there's some hippos back there!!" (in mock, very dramatic horror) and brush that spot....then it's "LOOK!!! A huge elephant over there, let's get him!!" Both kids have always loved this game (usually they start yelling out what the next animal we go after should be.) DS is almost 4 and last night there was a lone, hyper gorilla that jumped all aropund his mouth (his idea) and we had so much fun he got a really good brushing. To do the front, I ask them to growl (and I demonstrate, baring my closed front teeth.) That's always fun and allows you to get to the fronts. I never come right at them with the toothbrush at first - we have to peek into their mouth and talk about which animals we've go to after and they get excited about the idea. You can also warm them up with a quick game of, "Wait, what's that noise??? Is that a rhino? Is in in your ear?? Hmmm, no. Your nose??? Nooo. It's louder - hey, I think it's in your mouth!! Quick, open up and let's see!" Another thing that worked for us is that we picked up a bunch (like 5) various electric spin brushes (a CARS one, a dolphin, a Tigger, etc) and they get to pick which one, they've always liked that. DD is now 2 and we'e been doing it for almost a year with her and DS for a few years too - I guess it never gets old.

That sounds really fun! Wanna come brush my son's teeth?

 

My child has oral invasion aversion in a very strong way. she couldn't nurse because of it. She panics if Ijust try to feel out a new tooth. I simplyc annot brush her teeth. She will hurt me or herself if I try and it feels very bad (almost abusive) to do what I must do to force her. It is extremely traumatic for both of us.

Here's what I think is funny though. Most of us never had our teeth brushed by our mothers at this age. I don't know anyone who is age 25+ whose mom says she started before age 3 or something. (Doesn't mean there isn't anyone out there, just that I don't know them!) I only have 2 cavities, in my permanent teeth, and never had any in my baby teeth. Why is it such a big deal nowadays to brush babies' teeth?

My friend who is in a very good dental school says it is truly only necessary even for adults to do it every other day, if the plaque is removed thoroughly. We are told to do it more often because the average adult does a crappy job of brushing their teeth.

 

My daughter is 16 mo and I do not brush her teeth. She asks to brush when she sees me brush, and I hand her her baby toothbrush and she smooshes it around in her mouth. No paste (we don't use fluoride paste anyway, but the one time I let her taste it she made a face). I'll wait until she's older. I'm not worried.

 

Ds has very bad teeth dispite us starting to brush around 3 months (even before teeth)
We didn't use toothpaste until he had teeth, then we atarted with Weleda.
Teethbrushing was always a fun time...until I noticed brown spots and cavities in the front.
I took him to a pediatrician dentist, and they scared the crap outta me. I have since change the way we have been brushing. Right now its not a fun event

Its really too bad. I'm hoping it will get better.
I used to let him brush his own teeth and I would 'try' to a little bit but he would never let me.
Now...I lie him down and put his arms under my legs (horrible I know, but his teeth get clean) His gums aren't inflamed anymore...they bled at first because they weren't used to proper brushing.
We also started using a little flouride toothpaste (Toms) We don't have flouride in our water here in Vancouver, so I don't feel too terrible about such a small amount.
I have noticed such a difference in the look of ds's teeth. I've been able to brush away almost all of the nasty looking stuff.
I plan on stopping the flouride and starting with some Xylitol paste from the healthfood store.
Anyway thats our trials of toothbrushing around here

Dawn

 

Hi there,

I also have a 14 month old. I have been trying to keep teeth-brushing "fun" because he struggles against it and I don't want him to be scared of it. So I usually let him chew/suck on the toothbrush for awhile while i brush my teeth, then I tickle him and he laughs and opens his mouth and i brush while i have the chance. I try and keep it fun and not a big deal in the hopes that one of these days it won't bother him so much. But I also stress about his teeth and hope that he doesn't get cavities. Oh well. You do what you can and hope for the best

Whimsy

 

I sing a song from one of his Babybug books about brushing teeth, and use a dab of apricot flouride-free Tom's of Maine toothpaste. He opens right up! (ds is 14m too) Tried washcloth and one of those finger toothbrushes, but no go. Good luck. The strawberry Tom's for children tastes pretty good (I should know, I use it myself) and it's flouride free too.

 

Er, I will probably be lambasted for this but our pediatrician (in France) told us that brushing teeth was not necessary before the age of 2, provided that a child did not fall asleep with milk in her mouth (be it from bottle or breast). So we did not start brushing her teeth unti she turned 2.

: Her teeth look fine to me.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmlp Er, I will probably be lambasted for this but our pediatrician (in France) told us that brushing teeth was not necessary before the age of 2, provided that a child did not fall asleep with milk in her mouth (be it from bottle or breast). So we did not start brushing her teeth unti she turned 2. : Her teeth look fine to me.

Actually our doctor said the same exact thing! But then my dentist said I should start brushing his teeth, so I'm kinda confused about what the "official" word is on that one. I'm just real worried about cavities because I had horrible ones as a child and lots of dental trauma. So I thought I would start young, mostly just to get him used to it.

Whimsy

 

I was told that as soon as a tooth appears that we should start looking after it.

However after saying that I didn't start brushing DS's teeth regularly until he hit 12 months.

I will admit that we have phases in the past where we can't get the toothbrush near his mouth but that lasts only for a few days. I just keep persisting. On some weekends I take him into our bathroom so he can see Daddy brushing his teeth as well.

For our family I made it all part of his daily routine because my boy thrives on routine. He knows he brushes his teeth after waking up and getting changed and just before bedtime. Distraction was very important and getting him involved was important. He got to hold the toothpaste tube and he still does at 23 months old.

We use toothpaste specifically made for toddlers and I use just the tiniest amount to cover part of the brush. I have read to use a pea size but I don't even use that much.

My DS is not at the stage where he can brush his teeth on his own so we brush it for him.

 

We have 4 tooth brushes for her! She likes to carry them around- sometimes tries to brush the cat with them, but usually just teethes on them! We brush every night, but we keep it low key. She gets one brush, I get another, and we use Weleda paste on both. She likes the taste, and I plan to use a flouride paste when she is older (our water isn't flouridated and I feel topical is better than fully ingested!) Anyhow- we both brush her teeth, usually at the same time. I make a special point to try and brush her tongue. Some days we get all her teeth really thoroughly, and sometimes not!

 

My daughter (17 mos) is actually really into her toothbrush, but she doesn't let me do a really thorough brushing usually. I just try to swipe every tooth, and then let her chew on it and play with it during her bath. She's really used to the routine so now when we go in to run her bath, she says, "Teef, teef?" I think the routine helps her a lot and makes her more receptive to the small amount of brushing. A friend of mine makes it part of the meal cleanup routine...they always brush teeth after dinner while she's still in her high chair.

 

I've always used nonflouride paste, just a bit. I get down on the floor to my sons level and I let him brush my teeth while I brush his. That usually works!

 

Our current strategy is to plap peek-a-boo till he is squealling with glee. Then stick the brush in while his mouth is wide open from laughing.

We use Welleda baby tooth paste. We tried Burts Bees but DS doesn't like it.

 

I must admit I've only tried a couple of times. DD, 14.5 months, only has 4 teeth (though 6, all on the bottom! Yikes!) are coming in now, including two molars...
I had always been told just to use water and gauze. We have a baby tooth brush from the woman who was my hygienist since I was a kid.
I suppose I should try more often, but I question using toothpaste at her age (we have plenty of fluoride in our water, so definitely don't need that -- I have staining on my teeth from too much in the water combined with some sort of abx I was on.) I should look for Tom's strawberry flavor...
Thanks, ladies, for all the great suggestions!